Watermelon Jalapeno Margaritas

This watermelon-jalapeño margarita is like the traditional version turned extra summery and fresh. We added sweet, mild watermelon juice to the usual lime and tequila, then added a tiny splash of fresh jalapeño juice to the mix to keep things from getting too mellow. It easily multiplies to make a pitcherful, so friends can serve themselves in tall salt-rimmed glasses full of ice.

My favorite part of this margarita is the fresh jalapeno juice.  We threw a couple of jalapenos into my fancy juicer to see what would happen. The results were exciting -  a tiny vial of neon green juice with an intensely green spiciness. This jalapeño juice is a totally different animal from the flavorless spice of an infused vodka because it is so incredibly fresh tasting. It's not just spicy, but bright and green and herbal. The perfect thing to add -- drip by drip -- to give a traditional cocktail a new dimension.

Watermelon Jalapeno Margaritas

Recipe available on our column, Locally Mixed, over at Whole Foods!

Agave Margarita

Cinco de Mayo is this weekend, which, in my mind at least, kicks off margarita season. For the last several years, I had been making margaritas based on the same recipe. It was pretty heavy on the lime juice and the triple sec, making it both sweet and overly acidic. I don't know why I kept using that recipe except that I liked it, but I didn't love it. Well, I've just found a margarita recipe that I love: the agave margarita.

This recipe comes from the pages of the most recent Bon Appetit. Tequila takes center stage here, so try to use a decent one. The lime juice gives just the perfect amount of tartness, while the agave syrup replaces what is traditionally triple sec or Cointreau. 

  Because there isn't too much lime juice in there, you can hand squeeze what you need pretty quickly. I was a little worried that they wouldn't be lime-y enough or that there would be something lost without the flavor of the orange liqueur. But this margarita has great flavor, and it goes down very, very easily. (Don't say I didn't warn you!)

Agave Margarita

• kosher salt

• ice

• 1/4 cup tequila

• 2 tbs light agave syrup

• 2 tbs fresh lime juice

• lime wedge, for garnish

1. Place the kosher salt in a shallow dish. Moisten the rim of your glass with a bit of lime juice, and then  turn the glass over onto the dish of salt.
2. Place ice into the glass. Pour in tequila, agave, and lime juice. Stir, and garnish with lime wedge. (You could also place ice, tequila, agave, and lime juice into a shaker, shake, and strain into a margarita glass.)